Oregon Supreme Court Fast-Tracks Gun Control Petition

Oklahoma County Sheriff Captain Jim Anderson demonstrates locking a gun during a Jan. 25, 2017, news conference. A ballot initiative likely headed for Oregon's November ballot would force gun owners to secure their weapons with trigger locks or other mechanisms when they aren't in use or being carried.

Sue Ogrocki

Originally published on June 19, 2018 10:04 pm

Backers of a gun control proposal aimed for November’s ballot got some unexpected help from the Oregon Supreme Court on Monday.

The proposal, Initiative Petition 44, has less than three weeks to collect and submit more than 88,000 valid signatures. The petition had been tied up after opponents with the National Rifle Association, Oregon Firearms Federation and other groups challenged its ballot language.

No longer. In a surprise move, the Supreme Court announced it didn't need to consider further argument on those challenges, which it said were “not well taken.” The court instead certified ballot language drafted by the Oregon Department of Justice.

That means supporters can begin collecting signatures immediately. They had been bracing for a weeks-long delay that likely would have doomed their chances of gathering enough signatures by the July 6 deadline.

Shortly after the announcement Monday, backers of IP 44 were still deciding how to react.

"We thank the court for their quick action, affirming the attorney general correctly titled our measure,” said Jake Weigler, a campaign spokesman. “We are disappointed the gun lobby attempted to run out most of the clock to keep voters from considering this measure. We are working quickly to determine if we see a path to qualify it for the ballot."

Dubbed “Oregonians for Safe Gun Storage and Reporting Lost/Stolen Firearms,” IP 44 would force gun owners to secure their weapons with trigger locks or other mechanisms when they aren’t in use or being carried. Violators of the law could face fines of up to $2,000 and would be liable for any injury caused by an unlawfully unlocked weapon, excluding self-defense situations.

The petition is one of two gun-control proposals that could come before Oregon voters in November. The other, IP 43, would place heavy restrictions on military-style semi-automatic weapons and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Pro-gun groups have also appealed ballot language for that petition to the Oregon Supreme Court. The court could rule as early as this week.